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Community pharmacy could help solve the current A&E crisis if more pharmacy-led services were commissioned, Pharmacy Voice and PSNC have claimed. NHS England figures released this month show that record numbers of patients are waiting longer for emergency treatment, while emergency admissions are at their highest since records began. According to Pharmacy Voice, these pressures could be eased if more effort was made to direct people to pharmacies €“ for example, by increasing referrals via NHS 111, which currently only stand at one per cent, as well as increasing funding for pharmacy services.

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Health, PSNC chief executive Sue Sharpe outlined how pharmacy services, if commissioned, could result in cost savings for the NHS, as well as offering patients more convenient care. Rob Darracott, Pharmacy Voice chief executive, said: €There is huge potential to reduce admissions by supporting pharmacies to encourage correct adherence to medication and supporting those with long-term conditions such as asthma and diabetes.€